College World Series Tickets

A sudden change of heart over hotel tax rates

As human beings, we have the opportunity to form an opinion on a subject, with the option of reassessing and even changing our belief based on new information.

This, however, is simply amazing.

Three months ago, as the concept for a new downtown stadium in Omaha was gaining ground, Mayor Mike Fahey said that part of the funding for Rosenblatt Stadium's replacement would come from a 1 percent increase in hotel taxes.

Judging from the response at that time by the Metropolitan Hospitality Association, you would have thought the end of the world would arrive if this tax increase went through. Omaha already has one of the highest hotel tax rates in the country, they said. It would drive convention business away from the city, they worried. It would make other cities more attractive to people looking to grow their business in bigger markets, they claimed.

Three months later, the Omaha World-Herald reported that the MHA had decided that the hotel tax wasn't such a bad idea after all. In fact, it was such a GOOD idea that they asked the mayor to increase it by an ADDITIONAL half-point, with the revenue from that extra increase going to the Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau to fund promotion of Omaha as a destination point.

Good heavens -- somebody could sprain something doing a 180-degree turn that quickly. Are you kidding? The MHA has gone from being AGAINST a 1 percent increase in the hotel tax to being IN FAVOR of an increase that is actually HIGHER than the original suggestion?

Of course, the hotel tax is a good idea in that it would help eliminate the need to raise property taxes in a city that is already taxed out. People who were initially against the new stadium worried about the effect it would have on property taxes, but the stadium funding will come from hotel and car rental taxes, keno revenue and stadium revenue.

We just find it strange that an organization that was so adamantly opposed to a hotel tax increase, suddenly, is now not only in favor of it, but wants to see it raised higher than originally announced. We wonder what would cause such an immediate 180-degree turn in the thinking of the MHA.

Team Feature: Vanderbilt Commodores

Last year they came up short. This year they're hoping to take that next step and get the folks in Nashville excited about the College World Series.

Vanderbilt had a breakout year last year, winning the Southeastern Conference title and taking the No. 1 ranking into the postseason. Their hopes for making the College World Series for the first time were derailed, though, as they were upset in the regionals by Michigan.

The Commodores were looking good heading into the 2008 season, but their hopes took a dip when two-time All-American Pedro Alvarez went down with a broken hand during an opening-weekend tournament in Arizona.

Through it all, coach Tim Corbin and his troops have persevered, and they find themselves in the conversation of teams that could make their way to Omaha this summer. They carry a 35-15 record into their final regular-season series at Florida and will be one of the favorites to win the SEC tournament title next week.

Pitching has helped keep Vanderbilt in the hunt this season, led by Caleb Cotham. The righthanded freshman is 7-3 on the year with a team-best 3.28 earned-run average and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of almost 3-to-1. They have also received some solid efforts from Mike Minor (5-3, 4.07) and Nick Christiani (5-3, 4.37), with Russell Brewer leading the bullpen with five saves and four wins in relief.

Offensively, the Commodores have managed to make up for the temporary loss of Alvarez (who has since come back to hit .322 in 29 games). David Macias leads the team with a .375 batting average, and Ryan Flaherty has been the powerhouse in the lineup with the top team marks in homers (12) and RBI's (53). Dominic de la Osa has proven to be an effective weapon on the basepaths, recording 23 steals on the year.

The Commodores recently lost a series to Georgia that should secure the SEC tournament top seed for the Bulldogs, but don't count Vanderbilt out of the hunt this postseason. They are a very solid team and are hungry to make the trip to Omaha after coming up short in 2007.

New stadium is a done deal with 25-year agreement

The people of Omaha can exhale now -- the College World Series won't be going anywhere until 2035.

It's hard to imagine what the game of baseball will be like a quarter of a century down the road. When you think about it, 25 years ago from now was 1983. Back then, we saw some tremendous talent play in Rosenblatt Stadium that would eventually wind up in the big leagues. Some of the guys on the all-tournament team that year are names you no doubt remember in big-league uniforms -- Dave Magadan (Alabama), Chris Sabo (Michigan), Barry Bonds (Arizona State), Pete Incaviglia (Oklahoma State) and Calvin Schiraldi (Texas) all made names for themselves in Major League Baseball after showcasing their talents at the College World Series in 1983.

The tournament will remain at Rosenblatt Stadium until 2010, when the current agreement between the city of Omaha and the NCAA runs out. In the summer of 2011, the tournament will move up 13th Street a few miles to a brand new stadium that will be built just a Bob Horner moon shot away from the Qwest Center in downtown Omaha.

There are so many memories college baseball fans have of Rosenblatt Stadium, memories that will no doubt be hard to replace even after "The Johnny" is torn down after the 2010 College World Series. As it always is, though, the memories of days gone by will be the foundation for new memories that will no doubt be created in a brand new 24,000-seat facility that will be built with this tournament's best interests in mind.

Omaha has been the perfect host for this tournament. With its central location and the timing of the season, there is no better place on this planet for a tournament as unique as the College World Series. The NCAA recognized this and went beyond its comfort zone of short-term agreements to keep the College World Series in a city that has treated the NCAA very, very well over the years.

The College World Series has also served as a calling card for the city in helping to bring other NCAA tournaments to town. Omaha hosted the NCAA volleyball tournament in 2006 and will do so again later this year. Earlier this year, it hosted an NCAA basketball regional for the first time in over three decades. Two years from now the NCAA Div. I wrestling championships will come to Omaha.

The last hurdle to the process will be approval by the Omaha City Council, and that is not expected to be a problem despite the fact there is at least one member on the seven-member board who has said he will vote against any and all stadium-related issues. The 25-year agreement the NCAA will sign later this spring makes this a done deal, and it will be great for baseball fans to continue coming to Omaha to see the College World Series well into the 21st century.

Team Feature: Nebraska Cornhuskers

One team that has been a big surprise during the 2008 season has been the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

The Huskers saw a talented team tank late last season, and there were a lot of question marks headed into the 2008 campaign. Those questions appear to have been answered, as the Huskers are playing very well and look to be a regional host and a potential top-eight seed for the NCAA tournament.

At 36-8-1, the Huskers have won 12 of their last 14 and had a 14-game winning streak early in the year after opening with a series loss at Stanford. They have posted some impressive series wins over teams like UC Riverside, Texas, Creighton and Baylor, and will get a big test this weekend when they host Big 12 Conference leader Texas A&M.

The Huskers have done it with solid pitching and timely hitting this year. On the mound, the Huskers are led by senior Johnny Dorn, who has a 5-1 record with a 2.69 ERA and a team-best 84 strikeouts. Thad Weber (8-2, 3.75) has been a pleasant surprise for coach Mike Anderson, and the Huskers found a couple of dependable starters in Aaron Pribanic and Dan Jennings, who has gone 5-0 with four saves this year.

Offensively, the Huskers have several players they can rely on, including catcher Mitch Abeita, who leads the team with a .360 average and seven home runs. Other solid performances have been turned in by people like Jake Opitz (team-leading 40 RBI's), Nick Sullivan, Bryce Nimmo and Craig Corriston.

The Huskers have played the last couple of weeks without Corriston at first base, who was sidelined for a few weeks for arthorscopic knee surgery. Anderson feels he will be back for the Big 12 tournament later this month, and will certainly be available for regional play at the end of the month.

The Huskers haven't been to the College World Series since 2005, but with their close proximity to Rosenblatt Stadium, you can bet the place will be buzzing if Nebraska can get through regionals and super regionals and make their fourth trip to the College World Series later this summer.

NCAA agrees to 25-year deal with Omaha

The College World Series won't be leaving Omaha for a long, long time.

Tuesday afternoon, the College World Series of Omaha Inc. organization announced it had reached an agreement with the NCAA that will keep the college baseball tournament in Omaha through 2035.

Last week, a memorandum of agreement between the two sides noted that the College World Series would stay in Omaha for at least 20 years, but now it will be 25 years before Omaha has to worry about negotiating with the NCAA.

Under the agreement, the majority of revenue that comes from the two-week tournament will go to take care of the city's stadium construction debt, which is expected to be about $140 million. The remaining funds will go to stadium operation expenses and upkeep, reserve funding for stadium expenses and the NCAA.

According to the Omaha World-Herald, the stadium is projected to bring in about $16 million in 2011, the first year it is open. Of that revenue, $6.5 million would go to settle construction debt, the NCAA would get $5 million and another $3.5 million would go to operating expenses. The remaining $1 million would be split between the city and NCAA, with the NCAA receiving 80 percent.

Currently, the NCAA is under contract to hold the College World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium through 2010. Under the current deal, the NCAA receives about $3.3 million from Omaha, so the new deal will be an increase of over 50 percent for the collegiate governing body.

The stadium will be run by the Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority (MECA), which also oversees the Qwest Center, located just southeast of the new stadium site. MECA will work with the NCAA on securing stadium naming rights, which could bring in close to $1 million annually.

New stadium to be huge lift for Omaha, CWS

College baseball fans can breathe a little easier now, knowing they aren't going to have to worry about finding different hotels, restaurants and watering holes to hang out at during the College World Series.

The "memorandum of understanding" that was signed between the NCAA and Omaha officials means that the College World Series will stay in Omaha well into the 21st century. The current agreement will have the tournament at Rosenblatt Stadium through 2010, with the tournament moving to a new downtown stadium for a 20-year run that will keep it in Omaha until 2030.

It has been an interesting 12 months since discussion of a new downtown stadium first started. With cost estimates, controversy surrounding the city's reluctance to give out any details about the stadium and all the behind-the-scenes work that goes with such a project, it's a relief to see that the NCAA has come to realize the crown jewel it has by keeping the College World Series in the same city that has served as the tournament's host for almost 60 years.

This is a unique situation for the NCAA. Normally, their national championship tournaments rotate from city to city, with cities usually getting the tournament for no more than two or three years in a row. The Final Four in both men's and women's college basketball is in a different location each year. The NCAA Div. I wrestling tournament has had its tournament in St. Louis the past two years, but normally rotates it around the country as well. Only the Div. I College World Series stays in the same location every year, and much of that is a testament to what the people of Omaha bring to the table every year and the enjoyment fans have in coming to the middle of the country every year to cheer on their favorite teams.

Certainly, moving to a new stadium is going to be met with some resistance. The people living around the stadium are going to miss out on charging $20 to allow fans to park in their front yards, and some of the traditional atmosphere will be lost in a new stadium. But the positives -- improved parking, better access to hotels and the overall downtown atmosphere near the stadium in the Old Market -- is going to bring a new, exciting vibe to what is arguably college sports' biggest event.

The new stadium will provide a much-needed lift to Omaha's revitalized downtown region and will be a nice complement to the Qwest Center, which was built just a few years ago and is already becoming a top-notch facility in its own right. This is going to be a huge lift, not just for the city of Omaha, but for the College World Series as it continues its long, storied tradition in Omaha, Nebraska.

It's official: College World Series in new stadium

The i's have been dotted and the t's are crossed -- the College World Series will stay in Omaha.

The NCAA and Omaha officials announced late Wednesday that they have put the finishing touches on a memorandum of understanding that will keep the College World Series in Omaha through 2030. The two-week national tournament will be played in a new stadium that will be built in downtown Omaha in two parking lots located just northwest of the Qwest Center.

Currently, the NCAA is holding the College World Series in Rosenblatt Stadium. A five-year agreement that runs through 2010 will mean the tournament will have been played in the same location for 61 years when the contract runs out. The first tournament in Omaha took place in 1950.

By 2011, the new $140 million downtown stadium will be ready and the College World Series will move to its new location. The NCAA agreed that it will keep the College World Series in Omaha for 20 years. There had been speculation that the agreement would be for 25 years, but Omaha officials are happy to get a 20-year agreement.

The last sticking point between Omaha and the NCAA was how the money would be split up. This ultimately went Omaha's way, as they agreed that revenue generated by the new stadium would be used in the following priority:

1. annual payments on construction debt

2. stadium and CWS operating expenses

3. payments to a capital improvement fund for future stadium repairs

4. leftover funds would go to the NCAA.

The city hopes to pay the new stadium debt off in about 20 years, using a combination of stadium receipts, private funding and increases in hotel and car rental taxes.

The two sides spent the better part of two days negotiating the final terms in Omaha earlier this week. NCAA president Myles Brand is expected to sign the agreement in a few days, and the Omaha City Council will have to approve construction contracts and agreements within the next six weeks.

CWS Feature: Rice Owls

There have been a number of programs that have risen to a high level of success in the past decade, and one of the teams that has made a big move up in recent times has been the Rice Owls.

Led by longtime coach Larry Graham, the Owls have reached the College World Series four times in the past six seasons, winning it all in 2003 when the tournament format changed to its current best-of-3 championship series.

The Owls started the 2008 season as one of the teams to keep an eye on, and after a sluggish start they have managed to put themselves into position to be among the top contenders to make it back to Rosenblatt Stadium this summer.

Rice has been on a roll during the month of April after getting off to a 20-10 start. During the month of April, the Owls went 15-2 with wins over Texas and a three-game sweep of East Carolina highlighting the month's effort.

The Owls are pretty solid up and down the lineup. Infield Diego Seastrunk is the team's leading hitter, batting .375 on the season with a team-best 44 RBI's. Catcher Adam Zornes leads the Owls with nine home runs on the season (to go with his 42 RBI's), and Rick Hague has even round-trippers and 41 RBI's. Jimmy Comerota has proven to be a threat on the basepaths with 10 stolen bases so far this season.

On the mound, the Owls weekend rotation of Ryan Berry (5-3, 3.10 ERA), Chris Kelley (5-1, 3.31) and Matt Langwell (4-0, 4.45) has not been overpowering, but has been dependable and kept the Owls in games this season. Cole St. Clair is also pitching well, going 7-2 with a 3.30 ERA and a team-high three saves.

Coach Graham has done a great job building the Owls program into one of the top teams in the country, and you can bet the Owls will be among the teams to watch in the battle for the 2008 College World Series.

Don't wait to see who makes it to this year's premiere college baseball torunament -- order your College World Series tickets now through Ticket Express -- where no College World Series game is ever sold out.

Rosenblatt Stadium's days are numbered

More and more, it's looking like the days of the College World Series being played at Rosenblatt Stadium are numbered.

With the recent work done by officials in Omaha, it is quite likely that the College World Series will be played in a new stadium in 2011, whether in Omaha -- the tournament's host city since 1950 -- or in another stadium in another city.

A lot of work has gone into designing a new stadium. You can go to the Omaha Stadium website for all the details on the new stadium, including a recently-added fly-by animation of the stadium.

The biggest hang-up in the progress of this concept has been the Metropolitan Entertainment Convention Authority (MECA), which oversees operations of both the Qwest Center and Omaha City Auditorium.

For several weeks, MECA officials were at odds with Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey over the use of two parking lots located north of Qwest Center as the location for a new downtown stadium. Taking away over 900 parking stalls was not viewed as a good solution by MECA officials, as well as those who regularly attend events at the Qwest Center and find parking somewhat difficult at times.

A lot of negotiations and behind-the-scenes work has made it possible for MECA to finally get on board with this project. They are expected to formally approve the plans at their meeting next Tuesday. After that, Fahey will meet with officials from the NCAA to hammer out a long-term agreement to keep the College World Series in Omaha for at least 20 years.

The new stadium is expected to cost around $140 million, and no local property tax dollars are expected to be used to fund the stadium. Funding is expected to come from stadium revenue, local donations and increases in hotel and car rental taxes.

The College World Series will continue to be played at Rosenblatt Stadium through 2010. If an agreement is reached between the city and the NCAA and the Omaha City Council approves everything, that will be the last year fans will gather at "The 'Blatt" to watch the best in college baseball compete for a College World Series title.